Order of the Savron Sons
Savrons, formally known as the Order of the Savron Sons, are an order of scholars, healers, and learned men in Alantys. Due to their scientific and intellectual pursuits, majority of savrons serve as counselors to both high and lesser lords. The savrons are a secular organization, not a religious order, though they do swear sacred oaths to follow the duties and restrictions of their office. Unlike certain other organizations such as the monks of the Trion Faith, which has male monks, women are not allowed to join the savrons, though they may serve in the female-counterpart of the order, the Savryn Sisters. Functions and Duties Almost every castle and noble family in Alantys, no matter how small, has a savron to teach the lord's children, give him counsel, and attend to medical and educational needs. The lords of the Thirteen Territories are also reliant on their ability to send long distance communiques using trained messenger vherns, which they are responsible for tending in a castle's rookery or command a steward of vherns. Savrons also serve as the resident medical expert at a castle, responsible for everything from setting broken bones, assisting childbirth, and knowledge of medicinal herbs and potions to aid fevers and internal illnesses. In addition, savrons also observe changes in the weather to watch for shifting of the seasons. Savrons are expected to eschew their familial background and political allegiances. They drop their family name when they join the order. They are assigned to serve at castles and holdfasts throughout Alantys and are bound by their vows to serve whoever holds the castle in which they reside, regardless of changes in lordship. It is not considered a breach of their vows if a savron advises the current lord of their castle in military matters to defeat their enemies, but if their lord is defeated by his enemies and possession of the castle officially changes hands, the savron is expected to serve its new lord. Similar to the Silver Cloaks, the Order of the Savron Sons is an egalitarian institution whose members must ignore their past family and political ties, give up their right to inheritance, and take an oath of celibacy. Another similarity is that both the Silver Cloaks and the savrons are considered to be servants of the realm. Organization The headquarters of the Order of the Savron Sons is Savron Star (or most commonly known as 'the Star') a complex devoted to higher learning, which is located in the free fields of the Crownlands. New initiates are trained at the Star, and upon finishing their studies, gain the title of "savron" and are assigned to serve at a castle or town in Alantys. The entire order is ruled over by the Supreme Council, the high council of the savrons, who reside in the Star. A Chief Savron is considered the most senior member of the order, and is its personal representative to the king in Trinesse. The Chief Savron is elected by the Supreme Council, but resides in the Trinesse to personally advise the king and serve on the High Council. Only the Supreme Council may select the Chief High Savrons and while the Crown may dismiss the Chief Savron from the council, they cannot strip him of his title. Known Members *Savron Reede *Chief Savron Rowan In the Books In The Thirteenth Chronicle, the savrons are an all-male order of scholars and teachers. Women are not permitted to join the order. They are based in the Crownlands, in the mellienial castle of Savron Star. Subjects which the savrons can be specialized in include: herb lore, warcraft, medicine and healing, smithing, economics, history and heraldry, astronomy, vhernary, and the "higher mysteries" (magic), although in the latter case only to ensure that it is treated like a myth. The supreme master of such an area gains the rank of High Savron and is allowed to sit on the ruling council of the order, the Supreme Council, based in the Star. Savrons in Alantys basically serve many of the functions that Christian monks did in real-life medieval society, being lore-masters and advisors to noble families, who are mostly responsible for promoting literature culture, and who provide many of the writing services with letters or books that real-life Christian monks or clergymen would in a medieval chancery. In the fantasy-world of Alantys, however, the savrons are entirely separate from the religious clergy (such as monks of the Trion Faith): savrons focus entirely on matters of learning and scientific knowledge, while clergymen focus on religious matters. The exact origins of the Order of the Savron Sons have not been revealed in the series. They are known to have existed for many centuries, based in the Star, long before the Sovantine Invasion four hundred years ago. However, it has believed that New World Age was the era when the order was established. Savrons are also present in the Fyre Islands, where the Sovantine never conquered the Vareons.